Friday, March 02, 2007

Citrus Sesame Hummus

It's winter, it's cold, and if you're like me, this season makes you gravitate towards comfort foods. And because you're dressing in bulkier, camouflaging clothes, it's easier to slip up on eating healthy. But then one day, you wake up, realizing you have a few extra pounds on you, and you make a vow to go back to the healthier foods.

Hummus is such a great filling food, and as you can tell from my sidebar, I'm slightly obsessed with it. You're looking at one of my favorite ways to enjoy it - on a whole grain wrap, loaded with sprouts, fresh veggies, and a healthy portion of hummus. It's such a filling meal, yet very satisfying due to the low-fat hummus.

This version is kicked up with fresh lemon and orange zest, touched by some freshly minced ginger, and finished off with toasted sesame seeds for some crunch. And because there is only 2 tbsp of olive oil in the entire batch, it's very low in fat.

Process beans with olive oil and tahini until well processed. Or if you're like me and like a little more texture, mash with a potato masher. Stir in remaining ingredients. Allow to relax in the refrigerator for an hour or two for flavors to mingle. Serve and enjoy!

14 comments:

Terry B
said...

I love hummus, and this garlic-free, citrusy version sounds like a refreshing change. I'll definitely give it a try!

Regarding calories and fat content, tahini, made from sesame seeds, brings some to the party as well. But not too much in the quantities you use. Here's what O Chef says: "Tahini is a little more than half fat, but only 10% of the fat is saturated. So a 1-ounce serving, which is equivalent to about 30 grams, has 16 grams of fat, 2 of which are saturated."

What an interesting way to prepare hummus! I can't believe I didn't notice your hummus obsession, before, by the way. When I direct my fiance to this page he is going to ask me to make hummus every night for a week - he is equally obsessed with hummus. These recipes look so interesting. I can't wait to try them!!

P.S. I just wanted to add: I basically don't count fat in vegetable or bean sources, or, for that matter, fish usually. I only worry about animal sources of fat - dairy products, eggs, butter, etc. Hummus is such a healthy, whole food!

I adore hummus. I usually prepare it with a lot of garlic so when I made your version yesterday, I must say, at first I was not used to the lack of garlic. The orange and ginger flavours were amazing however, and I quickly warmed up to this variation of hummus.

I made this about a week ago and it is excellant. The citrus flavor becomes more pronounced after a couple of days. Which makes it even better. The best part is that my 10 yo actually ate a whole meal consisting of only veggies and hummus and then asked to take some for snack the next day.

I used half olive oil and half toasted sesame oil, and skipped the toasted sesame seeds. And I used a mixed nut butter instead of tahini. I mashed it all up and mmmmm. I actually licked the bowl! Thank you fiber :)